Route 1 Exxon Closed Temporarily After Fire

An in Elkridge lost power after a nearby utility line caught fire Monday morning, Will Coleman, maintenance staff at the gas station, told Patch.

“It started in the grass, and then it hit the plastic sheathing,” said Coleman, who said he dialed 911 the morning of Aug. 13 to report the fire.

“It went all the way up to the top—it was like a firework,” said Coleman.

The Howard County Department of Fire and Rescue Services said two crews responded to a grass fire reported at 9 a.m. near a utility pole by the Exxon at Montgomery Road and Route 1. Emergency personnel shut down the gas station and intersection before clearing the scene and turning it over to BGE, according to the fire department.

Utility crews were working along Montgomery Road Monday afternoon to fix the situation, which impacted Exxon and nearby .

“Do not cross fire line” tape cordoned off the gas station, which customers were still trying to access Monday afternoon. One driver jumped up on the curb in attempt to get around the tape.

“We’re closed,” Coleman’s colleagues told others, who walked up to the store from the Elkridge Corners parking lot. The convenience store attached to the gas station also was dark.

Next door, BB&T Bank still had power, said Coleman, but had lost telecommunication services.

Comcast and BGE could not immediately be reached for comment.

This article has been updated with information from the Howard County Department of Fire and Rescue Services.